Digital and Web Literacy Deep-Dive

StartUp Europe – a collaboration between the Lisbon Council and Telefónica – hosted a Deep-Dive on Digital and Web Literacy. Organised in partnership with Mozilla Foundation, the roundtable highlighted the need not only to advance digital skills as a way to respond to the unemployment crisis among Europe’s young but also to give citizens the tools they need to become active participants on the web. Mark Surman, executive director of Mozilla Foundation, delivered a forceful keynote in which he explained how the open nature of the Internet needs digitally-savvy participants who can actively shape its content. Ronan Dunne, CEO of Telefónica UK; Ann Mettler, executive director of the Lisbon Council; and Isidro Laso Ballesteros, Startup Europe team leader at the communications networks, content and technology directorate of the European Commission, explained how StartUp Europe can drive entrepreneurship and innovation. Lewie Allen, code DJ at Freeformers (an organisation that helps people to make digital ideas happen); Nils Fonstad, associate director of e-Labs at Insead; Glenn Manoff, director for social business and sustainability at Telefónica; and Xavier Prats-Monné, deputy director-general for education at the education and culture directorate of the European Commission; discussed the skills needed in the 21st century. In another session, Gi Fernando, founder of Freeformers; Peter “HP” Halácsy, chief technology officer and co-founder of Prezi; Kieron Kirkland, development research manager at Nominet Trust (an organisation that believes in the power of digital technology to improve lives and communities); Lucilla Sioli, head of unit for knowledge base at the communications networks, content and technology directorate of the European Commission; and Kathleen Stokes, lead policy adviser for digital education at Nesta, discussed the economics of digital literacy.